Hotels Ready For ‘Strong’ July 4

SEVERAL major Nassau-based hotel properties told Tribune Business yesterday they were seeing strong occupancy levels for this week’s July 4 US Independence Day holiday.

George Markantonis, president and managing director of Kerzner International (Bahamas), told Tribune Business that the Atlantis resort on Paradise Island was having a very strong July 4.

Mr Markantonis told Tribune Business: “The property is having a very strong July 4. We are running in the 90 per cent’s [occupancy] across all towers. The water park, dolphin and sea lion interactions and restaurants are all sold out. It’s going to be a big week.”

Patrick Drake, general manager of Sandals Royal Bahamian resort, told Tribune Business that the property was experiencing a very strong July overall, but he was concerned over the August bookings pace.

“We are fine for the first week in July, we have no concerns there. We are looking very strong through July. My concern really is Augus,t because the numbers are just not there,” Mr Drake said.

“We are still in the traditional good summer time but, after that, the numbers are just not strong .

“We are at very high occupancy levels this week and next week, so we are not really worried about July. After that we go into the traditionally slow period. We hope that it does not follow the normal trend, but I don’t see any change in the bookings, which have slowed.”

Jermaine Wright, director of business development at the British Colonial Hilton, told Tribune Business that the downtown resort also had high occupancy levels forecasted for the July 4 holiday. “We are positioned well, with moderately high occupancy levels forecasted,” Mr Wright said.

Robert Sands, Baha Mar’s senior vice-president of government and external affairs, who was off-island when contacted by Tribune Business, said the resort was also seeing strong numbers for July 4, although he was not in a position to give specifics.

Jackson Weech, general manager of SuperClubs Breezes on Cable Beach, told Tribune Business: “We are fully sold out for the period that covers the American Independence of July 4 and through the weekend.”